At the Helm

Our test drive was a short one — only about 75 miles. A teaser really, but enough to get a sense of how all this fresh thinking translates into a 17,950-lb freight hauling machine.

The most striking thing about the T680 is the quiet. Kenworth claims in its press material there is 40-percent less interior noise — compared to what they didn’t say — but it’s darn quiet.

When I say it’s quiet, imagine driving down the highway at cruise speed in the rain, and the loudest sound in the cab is the raindrops hitting the windshield. The rain was louder than the engine noise, louder than the road noise, and louder than the virtually absent wind noise.

Actually, the mixture of sounds the driver is exposed to is very nicely balanced. The low growl of the ISX engine is clearly obvious, but not intrusive. In fact, it’s quite pleasant.

The other big improvement is the position of the throttle pedal. It’s still hung from the firewall, but it’s also hinged to the floor, so the driver’s heel can rest on the floor. It’s a much more natural position, and infinitely more comfortable than previous recent designs.

The truck had an Eaton UltraShift+ so we weren’t able to get the full benefit of the new throttle pedal position as far as shift timing goes, nor the air-over-hydraulic clutch, which is very east to depress. However, I will say the UltraShift+ and the ISX are speaking the same language, and the shifting algorithms are very well tuned.

The larger windshield and narrower A-pillar improve forward and lateral visibility without leaving you feeling that you’re sitting in an aquarium, and the mirror placement could not have been better. A close look reveals that while the mounts are in the same place on the cowl, the right hand mirror is positioned a little further back in the driver’s line of sight for better viewing. That’s attention to detail.

Driving the truck was simply a joy. It’s easy to maneuver, but very solid feeling. While it smoothes out the bumps and jolts, it’s not sloppy about it, and you never lose the feeling of where the wheels are on the road.

There’s a lot new about the T680, and it is definitely not, as I had originally ­suspected, a rehash of the T700. And there’s a lot to like too. My short drive left me wanting more, but escape plans from Mid-America limited the time we had to drive thing.

This truck could set ride and driver environment benchmarks for some time to come.